Chinese New Year

Chapter 536: Interception (Part )

On the fifth day of September, Shao Xun climbed up the Tongque Tower and looked out at the rivers, farmlands, forests, forts and mountains to the west.

Flowers and trees line the sides of the slope.

The birds were hopping around on the branches, looking curiously at the group of people walking by.

The fragrance of japonica rice wafted over the mountain path, lingering for a long time in the morning breeze.

The herbal medicine garden on the stage is full of sunflowers covered with dew, which are fresh and crystal clear.

Behind the medicine garden, there are more than a hundred palaces and rooms stretching from sky to earth.

There are green trees in front of the hall and vines growing around the well.

The meticulous soldiers stood at attention with their weapons in hand, silently watching the people coming up.

"With such taste, even the emperor would envy you." Wang Yan exclaimed.

"The commander is indeed a man of noble interests." Shao Xun said with a smile.

"Not as good as Taibai." Wang Yan shook his head and laughed, saying: "I have been busy for half my life, but I can't make the people in the neighborhood burn, can't make the granaries stocked, and even more can't respect the king and repel the barbarians and bring peace to the world."

"In the cities, houses are in ruins, and autumn insects are chirping."

"In the countryside, the houses and gardens are empty, and foxes and rats are everywhere."

"The common people are poor and have to work hard. Some people struggle from their youth to their old age, and cannot enjoy peace."

"Even the noble families lived in fear."

"On March 3rd, how many women dare to go outing and have fun?"

"The Double Ninth Festival is coming soon. How many people dare to climb the mountain and sing?"

"When bandits attack, my sons and daughters lead their troops to fight, and they are bound to die on the battlefield."

After that, Wang Yan sighed and said meaningfully: "Everyone is annoyed."

Shao Xun glanced at him and felt that there was something else behind his words.

Wang Yan was accompanied by several followers, all of whom were low- and middle-level officials in the cabinet, including Yue Zhao, the Imperial Censor, and Yu Bing, the former Director of the Imperial Library and current Director of the Imperial Secretariat.

They were all looking at the Bronze Sparrow Tower carefully, with complex expressions in their eyes.

Generals Zheng Dong and Duan Liang will walk at the end.

The former is an old subordinate of Shao Xun, and now serves as a general under Li Yun, serving as the Sima of the Palace.

The latter had been in charge of the Youzhou Tuqi Commander and had watched helplessly as this meritorious troop grew from over a thousand men to less than four hundred.

He had privately approached Shao Xun and said that the Youzhou Tuqidu could be expanded, and the personnel would come from the sons of the officers, but there was a lack of tall horses. Vests and suitable heavy cavalry weapons were also in short supply, but it was not unsolvable. The biggest problem was the right warhorse.

Shao Xun sent them hundreds of riding horses to maintain the relationship. However, he did not have any war horses that were tall, majestic, strong in load-bearing capacity, and fast in sprinting, because he was also in short supply. The few that were available were all allocated to officers. Sometimes officers were needed to lead the charge, and without good horses, it would not work.

Yesterday, Duan Liang found Shao Xun again and said with regret that many of the descendants of the Tuqi commander of Youzhou had to make a living on their own.

Shao Xun immediately said he would raise the child.

Duan Liang said it was just right, he had already gathered the people together, and a few days later, they would really go back home to farm.

Only then did Shao Xun realize that he had been deceived by this guy...

But it is not a bad thing. Armored cavalry must be formed. It is a waste to let the sons of Youzhou Tuqi Du serve as light cavalry.

At the same time, he also had some feelings. From this time to the middle of the Northern Dynasties, people liked to play cavalry, "using cavalry to defeat infantry".

Use the cavalry as the supervisory team and the main force, and drive the infantry cannon fodder to fight.

The resources they had were used primarily on cavalry. The cavalry armor was getting thicker and thicker, and the horses could barely carry it. They were reluctant to add some armor to the infantry, and even more reluctant to spend money and food to train and maintain excellent infantry.

Maybe it’s because they are all Hu regimes…

"My lord." Yu Chen, Hu Wufuzhi, Xi Jian, Zhang Bin and others all saluted.

"Everyone sit down and have some porridge." Shao Xun waved his hand and ordered.

The bodyguards brought the table, added bowls and chopsticks, and then served porridge to everyone.

Guangcheng rice is said to be delicious by everyone who has tasted it.

Yang Xianrong sent people to deliver the rice to Luoyang. The Duzhi Captain Yang Bao attached great importance to it and specially allocated a ship to transport the rice to Anyang, and then sent it to Yecheng by land.

Shao Xun used it to treat guests.

Of course, he was still quite touched. He ignored Liu all day yesterday and focused on his official duties.

Yang Xianrong is only two years older than him. She is now living a life of luxury and comfort, and should be able to accompany him for a long time.

When the aunts in the harem retire, they will be replaced by the Mesozoic generation.

Everyone sat down in the square in front of the temple, enjoying the gentle morning breeze, and slowly eating their porridge while appreciating the beautiful scenery near and far.

Wang Yan didn't have a big appetite. After he finished eating, he took the silk from his attendant and wiped his mouth.

The personal guard brought more tea, and Wang Yan took it to rinse his mouth.

Then he stood up, stood in front of the railing, and looked at the vast Zhangqu Weir.

"General, does he seem to be worried?" Shao Xun walked over and asked softly.

I have too many things on my mind, but there are only a few I can talk about with others.

Wang Yan sighed and said, "I listened to Taibai's strategy yesterday, and there seemed to be a problem." "Which strategy?" Shao Xun asked.

Wang Yan pointed to the vast plain outside the Bronze Sparrow Tower and said, "Hebei has a thousand miles of fertile land, with a large population and abundant livestock. In the area where the Hu and Jin meet, there are countless people with ulterior motives."

"I don't understand military warfare, but I know something about human nature. Taibai, have you ever thought about what the consequences would be if the Xiongnu invaded in large numbers?"

"Please teach me, General." Shao Xun bowed.

"The town commanders, fort commanders, refugee soldiers, and beggar soldiers are all very cunning and unwilling to fight. Some even stop their troops and hesitate. They won't fight hard until they see the outcome between you and the Huns," said Wang Yan.

"It is not impossible that once they invade Hebei Province in large numbers, many people will surrender directly and provide food, fodder and soldiers for the Xiongnu."

"Hebei has just finished its autumn harvest. Although the people are not wealthy, they still have food. With so many abandoned farmlands, it is easy to cut hay. If the Xiongnu invade in large numbers, we may not be unable to raise food and grass."

"When you were in Henan, you saw people who were indecisive. When your troops came, they gave you some food and grass. When the Xiongnu troops came, they would also give you some. It's just a way to avoid disaster. At worst, you can save food later and go hungry. Just get through this difficult time first."

"The people and the army of Hebei are not convinced. Everyone is waiting and watching. So what if I took your official seal? Which family doesn't have a few official seals? How many official seals did you collect from the Xiongnu? Are all those handed to you real?"

"Not to mention, there are too many people who have neither accepted your official seal nor openly betrayed the Xiongnu. They are hesitant and vague, and have not made a clear statement at all, so as to avoid having no way out in the future."

"This is human nature, and it is something that cannot be ignored."

At the end, Wang Yan turned around, looked at Shao Xun, and said earnestly: "If you lose, you can be at your peak one moment and collapse the next, and Hebei will be in vain."

"Then the only way is to defeat the Huns." Shao Xun said with a smile.

Wang Yan shook his head and said, "Taibai, you are good at military strategy and are quite confident about conquests. This is a good thing, but it is not entirely a good thing. In my opinion, as long as we fight, there will be two possibilities: victory and defeat."

"The commander is saying..."

"Then don't fight, don't gamble." Wang Yan said, "At least don't fight in Hebei, don't let those half-hearted people see the possibility of the Xiongnu regaining control."

"Zhang Mengsun is actually right, but he just doesn't want to tell you what he has in mind. Block the Xiongnu in Bingzhou and don't let them come to Hebei. On the one hand, you may have the confidence to defeat them, but it is really not a good thing. It is very likely that someone will turn against you and ruin the overall situation. People's hearts are hidden in their stomachs, so don't bet on what others think."

"A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall?" Shao Xun asked doubtfully.

"Hmm?" Wang Yan was stunned, then nodded and said, "That's right."

Shao Xun put his hands behind his back and began to think seriously.

A bit floating.

After moving into the Prime Minister's Mansion, I did feel a little bit proud.

So many scoundrels came to sing his praises, saying nice things for free, and flattering him loudly.

Shi Le was defeated and fled in a panic. Liang Fuci saw that the situation was not good and retreated to Anping.

Shi Le's beautiful wife was still in his hands and he could tease her at any time.

Wang Jun was doing evil things again and doing things recklessly.

The situation in Hebei is not just good, it is very good!
Before I knew it, I was floating.

He was confident that he could let the Huns in, choose a battlefield, and defeat them in one fell swoop, just like he defeated Shi Le, inflicting a heavy defeat on them.

But this is only a military issue and does not take into account the political consequences.

Wang Yan did not consider military issues, but only looked at it from the perspective of human hearts and came to another conclusion.

Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; listen to only one side and you will be in the dark. The truth will not deceive me.

Of course, letting the Xiongnu in and then fighting would not necessarily have serious consequences. As long as we can win, everything will be fine. On the contrary, after the war, we can take the opportunity to clean up some traitors and make Hebei more stable.

But as Wang Yan said, as long as you fight, there will be two results: victory and defeat.

If the odds of winning are high, does that mean we will definitely win?
In the Battle of Gaoqiu, the Tang army had more soldiers and more food, while Xue Ju was almost out of food and had fewer soldiers. Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan thought they had a great chance of winning, so they went out to fight a decisive battle, but were badly defeated by Xue Ju. Sixty to seventy percent of the troops Li Shimin brought with him were lost.

Nothing is taken for granted.

The Huns suffered so much, won’t they learn from their lessons and make progress?
Wang Yan thought that one should not gamble.

He didn't understand military affairs and thought that war was a gamble on victory or defeat, and it was best not to gamble unless absolutely necessary.

Shao Xun pondered in silence.

This decision must be made by him, and others can only provide reference opinions.

"If you really can't decide, why not block Fukou Pass?" Wang Yan suggested, "Fukou Pass is too close to Handan and Yecheng, and it can also connect with Shi Le and Liang Fuci. Once they are connected, Jizhou will definitely be in turmoil. Baixing Pass can be left alone. There are fewer people in Ji and Wei counties who are loyal to the Xiongnu, so it is not easy to raise food and grass. They are also far away from Shi Le and Liang Fuci, so you can take your time."

"The commander is well-versed in classics. Can you explain Fukou to me in detail?" Shao Xun suddenly said.

Wang Yan was delighted, knowing that Taibai had listened to his words, so he said: "The Huainanzi says 'the cauldron emerges from the scene.'"

"Gao You's commentary says, 'Jingshan is located in the southwest of Handan, where the Fu River originates and flows into the Zhang River from the south. Its original waves are boiling and surging, just like soup in a pot, so it is called Fu. Now it is called Fukou.'"

"Zuo Si's "Fu on the Capital of Wei" says, 'Looking south to Qi'ao, you can see lush green bamboos; looking north to Zhangfu, you can see marshes in winter and summer.'"

"Jingshan is also known as Fushan and Gushan. There is a stone drum on the mountain, and it is said that it rings from time to time. Liu Shao's "Ode to Zhaodu" says "the divine drum makes a sound", and people believe that when the divine drum rings, there will be war in the world."

"So if you want to block Fukou, Gushan and Fushui are the key. I don't know much about military affairs, so you have to arrange the specific defense yourself."

Shao Xun recalled the map.

Fushui, Gushan, Fukou, Wuan, Handan...

A series of mountains, rivers and cities emerged in his mind. Thanks to his extraordinary familiarity with marching and fighting, he came up with a strategy in an instant.

(End of this chapter)